The present invention relates, in general, to furniture slipcovers, and in particular, to a new and useful slipcover that is specially designed for recliner chairs and the like.
The popular recliner or motion chair typically has a long and well used life in the American household. Because it is a favorite, it is frequently soiled from the many bodies that plop in it and stay and snack and snooze. But, due to its mechanized state, it is also difficult to re-upholster by conventional means. Even custom made slip covers are hard to attach. Due to its relatively high cost, people are loath to get rid of their recliners, even when they have become worn and unsightly.
Presently, there are two commercially available cover sets on the market. One is a five-piece cover set with individual fabric components, each made of shaped, stretchy, synthetic fabric with elasticized gathers. The five dedicated pieces are stretched, in turn, over the chair back (1 piece), sides (2 pieces), seat (1 piece), and footrest (1 piece). Difficult to attach, this is a low priced, non-stylish product. It fits only the older recliners with separate pad footrests and cannot be attached to the newer continuous, flexing seat cushion with extended footrest designs.
A second product has been introduced in the recent past. It is a three-piece product, consisting of a large fabric rectangle--100 in..times.115 in.--and two elasticized fabric skirts. The main cover is draped over the chair and tucked in around the seat cushion with the aid of short plastic inserts. The rest of the overhanging sheet of fabric is wrapped around the chair's outer contours. It is secured in place by a large number of screw pins and the excess fabric is pushed under the chair. The problematic moving footrest is covered by wrapping it and securing it on its underside with the aid of two fabric ear-like ties which are formed at one end of the main cover by diagonal slits. A 10 ft. long skirt is attached along the base of the chair, going from the front of one arm, along the side, to the back, along the other arm and ending inside the front of the other arm, also secured with screw pins. The other 8 ft. skirt loop is wrapped around the bottom of the footrest. This three piece cover is time-consuming to attach and subject to displacement and frequent shifting in use. The screw pins damage the chairs upholstery whether it is fabric, leather or Naugahyde material (a trademark). The skirt on the footrest is an ungainly presence and particularly easy to displace with the user's feet.